Director of Counseling (Fall of 2025)

Our Mission

Nestled in a picturesque neighborhood residential community in Alameda, and minutes away from downtown Oakland, Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School (SJND), a Catholic parish high school, provides a dynamic and rigorous college preparatory education. Our faith-filled, diverse, and welcoming community embraces the teachings of Jesus Christ. We develop confident, open-minded, and effective leaders who are ready to live joyful lives of faith, scholarship, and service.

Position Description

We are currently seeking a full-time Director of Counseling to start the Fall of 2025. The Director of Counseling oversees the planning and implementation of a counseling program that provides support services for students in the areas of academic planning and achievement, personal issues, health and wellness education, college admissions planning, and career exploration. The execution of these programs involves a collaboration between the members of the Counseling Department with students, their families, teachers and administrators. The Director of Counseling also serves as a personal/academic counselor for half of the student population among those who are not assigned to the Learning Services Counselor. The Director of Counseling is responsible for the supervision and evaluation of the members of the counseling department.

Accountability:
The Director of Counseling is supervised and evaluated by the Assistant Principal of Academics and is appointed and dismissed by the Principal.

Member of:

Counseling Department, SJND Leadership Team, Admissions Committee, Academic Review Board, and other committees as assigned by the Principal.

Responsibilities:

Catholic Mission of SJND

• Uphold the mission of Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School and model a moral code which is consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Counseling Department

Administration:

• Supervise, organize, and evaluate the work of the guidance counselors and oversee the strategic planning, designing and implementation of all counseling services.
• Interpret the counseling and guidance programs to the faculty and act as an educator and consultant to them in matters of academic, social, and emotional support and intervention strategies for students, in collaboration with the other counselors.
• Review and approve Counselors in the Classroom curriculum and lessons for each grade division. Participate in the presentation, evaluation and ongoing revision of those lessons.
• Call regular team meetings for members of the department and for collaboration with the Assistant Principal of Academics and Dean of Students.
• Oversee the annual Career Day for juniors and seniors, with the Collaboration of the Assistant Principal of Academics, the Director of Alumni Relations, and the College Counselor and Program Coordinator.
• Oversee and Support the College Counselor and Program Coordinator with the Career Education program.
• Collaborate with the Institutional Advancement Office, Science Department Chair, Assistant Principal of Academics, and College Counseling Coordinator to provide connections for internship opportunities for the students.
• Oversee the referral process for assigning students to the Mental Health Counselor.
• Assist the College Counselor with a summary presentation to the Board of Trustees and the school administration of the graduating class each year.
• Attend and assist at all parent education events sponsored by the Counseling Department
• Collaborate with Advancement and College Counselor to compile and track alumni follow up data relative to college attendance and completion
• Assist the Assistant Principal of Academics in the creation of the annual Master Schedule and oversee the Counselors’ role in providing every student each year with a complete and individually appropriate program of academic courses.
• Oversee the distribution of standardized tests scores to students and their families, in collaboration with the College Counseling Coordinator.
• Supervise and advise members of the counseling team and faculty with situations impacted by mandatory reporting responsibilities.
• Oversee the screening process for admissions applicants with documented learning differences, in collaboration with the Learning Services Counselor and the Assistant Principal of Academics.
• Prepare and submit the annual counseling department budget to the school administration and approve all expenses by the department members.
• Oversee the Associate Director of Counseling’s coordination of the needs assessments for the student body and coordinate strategic and tactical responses to the information.
• Oversee the Associate Director of Counseling in the management of the department calendar and other record-keeping systems within the department.
• Oversee the assignment of students to the roster of the Learning Services Counselor and decisions in which students with documented learning differences are served by another counselor.
• Oversee the hiring of new department members including counselors and academic coaches for support programs

Clinical Services

• Conduct individual, group, and family counseling to address personal and academic needs for assigned students
• Conduct student intake appointments and guide students through appropriate academic planning, including college admissions guidance and letters of recommendation.
• Confer and collaborate with medical and mental health professionals for students with serious medical issues or who are receiving ongoing support from outside therapists. Collaborate with the teachers and families of those students whenever appropriate accommodations are advised.
• Interpret educational/psychological assessments as necessary. Create Individual Learning Plans (ILP’s) whenever necessary, using the documentation of those assessments.
• Provide crisis intervention and emergency response (including on-call responsibilities) and facilitate the hospitalization, as well as the medical leave of absence of students when appropriate.
• Provide conflict resolution support to students, with teachers and with other students, as needed.
• Provide referral sources for students and families in need of more extensive counseling services.
• Keep appropriate school logs and confidential notes on each student.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree in Counseling or Psychology, and PPS Credential required
• Program and personnel management skills
• Ability to supervise a program budget according to school policies
• Previous School counseling experience (preferred)
• Knowledge of High School curriculum standards and college-admission requirements
• Knowledge of medical conditions, both physical and psychological, that affect adolescents
• Background in crisis intervention and conflict resolution, either clinical or professional
• Excellent written/oral communication, public speaking, and group facilitation skills
• Exceptional problem-solving, analytic, and administrative skills
• Ability to use technology and data-based computer applications to process student data and produce professional-grade documents
• Ability and willingness to work occasional evening and weekend events
• Commitment to Professional Development and Continuing Education
• Ability to lift 30 lbs unassisted

Salary: Depending on experience, the pay would be $70,000 to $110,000 per year.

Applicants: Please submit a cover letter, resume and responses to the questions below. SJND Career Center. Find out more about our school at www.sjnd.org. We are an equal opportunity employer and we welcome and encourage diverse candidates to join our community.